Jeff Gordon to drive pace car in 2015 Indianapolis 500

Calling it his version of “The Double,” Jeff Gordon will drive the pace car in this year’s Indianapolis 500 before traveling to Charlotte for that evening’s NASCAR race.

Gordon was born in Northern California but moved to Pittsboro, Ind., in his formative years. Growing up in the hotbed of open-wheel racing, Gordon became enamored with Indy car racing and dreamed of one day running the Indy 500.

A lack of opportunities, however, pushed Gordon toward NASCAR, where he would eventually win four premier series championships and 92 races, third all time.

“As a kid I watched this race,” Gordon said. “I dreamt about it. ... As I got older, I moved to Indiana. My first car was a Chevy. My second car was a Chevy. Now I get to drive Chevrolets every weekend on the racetrack and win in a Chevy. To do it here in Indianapolis is the ultimate.

“There’s only one thing that was missing; that was the Indy 500. This is as close as I think I’m going to get. But this is pretty awesome. This is amazing to me. What an honor it is for me to be here.”

Although stepping away from full-time competition at the end of the season, Gordon has not dismissed dabbling in other disciplines, but has said he won’t pursue his Indy 500 dream.

The car Gordon will drive in the May 24 race is a Chevrolet Corvette Z06. After leading the field, he plans to watch a few laps with his family before flying to Charlotte Motor Speedway to compete in the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR’s longest race.

Gordon won the inaugural Brickyard 400 at Indy, NASCAR’s second-biggest race, in 1994. Overall, he has five victories, including last year.

“When I heard the announcement that they were going to have the Brickyard 400, I was already down south racing NASCAR. That, to me, was a very special moment in my life because one of my dreams was finally going to come true where I got to race,” Gordon said. “I’ve been here many times, but had never raced here. Then to go and win that race, it just blew my mind.”